Starting line
by koukacs
Summary: Series of drabbles showing the beginning of Mimi's and Jyou's relationship, in celebration of jyoumi week.
1. Firsts

**Digimon does not belong to me. These drabbles are in celebration for the Jyoumi week. Reviews are appreciated. :)**

 **Firsts**

Jyou had been living in the United States for a couple of months and Mimi had been pressuring him to do something couples did all the time there.

"B-But people are going to see us! It's embarrassing!" Jyou used to protest.

"We're just going to hold hands in public! It's no big deal!" Mimi used to say back to him, with no effect. Jyou was very strict when it came to public demonstrations of affection. Mimi tried not to pressure him but she couldn't avoid feeling sad over it. Since she was a teenager, she had dreamed about holding hands in the street with the love of her life. Maybe it was a silly dream. But it was so dear to her heart.

However, if that had been her only problem, things would have been so much easier for her.

Mimi had an internship in a local television network that she loved. But the network was having financial problems and had to let people go. Mimi was notified that she was going to be one of those people one week before her last day.

When she told Jyou, he tried to cheer her up the best he could. He reminded her that there were other networks, that he believed in her competence and that he would continue to support her forever. Mimi simply nodded, incapable to even force a smile.

Her last day in the network came and was over in the blink of an eye. The sun was already down when she left the building to walk to the subway station alone, like she had always done.

However, she soon found out that would not be the case.

"Jyou?" She let out when she saw her boyfriend waiting for her on the sidewalk. "What are you doing here? You should be in class!"

"I skipped today."

"You never do that!"

"I thought that you wouldn't want to be alone today... nor should you."

Seeing his eyebrows furrowed in concern for her brought tears to her eyes. Nevertheless, she smiled.

"I love you so much, Kido Jyou!"

His cheeks turned scarlet as they always did when she told him that.

"I love you too! Above everything in the world!" He spoke in the overtly serious tone of voice he always used to demonstrate how much he meant his words.

"I believe you." Mimi assured him. "Do you want to come to my apartment? We could cook together. It'll cheer me up!"

"Ehrr, Mimi…" Jyou murmured, shyly. He lifted his left hand and sustained it in the air.

"Do you want to shake my hand?" She asked, confused.

"N-No!" Jyou stuttered, blushing. "I just… I mean… I thought that you would like it if we… held hands, you know?"

Mimi raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You don't have to force yourself to do that. I don't want to make you uncomfortable." She told him.

"I want to do that!" Jyou affirmed, grabbing both of the woman's hands. "I want to! I want to be a good boyfriend and support you the best I can! If I keep on refusing to hold your hand in public when I know that would make you happy, then I wouldn't be doing my best!"

Mimi gently put his right hand down but kept on holding his left one.

"Please let me know if it's too much for you." She asked.

"When have I ever lied to you?" He asked in response, smiling largely.

That night, Mimi and Jyou held hands in public for the first time. It surpassed everything she had ever dreamed about.


	2. Water

**Water**

"It's still raining..."

Mimi could not hide her disappointment. The romantic weekend on the beach she had planned had been ruined by torrential rain that had started Friday night and kept on going until Sunday afternoon.

"It could've been worse. At least we're in a comfortable hotel." Jyou tried to see the good side of things, which was not usual for him.

"But I wanted to go swimming! And get tanned! And feel the warm sand under my feet! This isn't fair!" Mimi complained.

Jyou studied her attentively. Mimi had her arms crossed as she stared out of the glass window in their bedroom. Her furrowed and trembling eyebrows made it clear how frustrated she was.

"We could always go to a beach in the Digital World." Jyou suggested. "Our partners would be there. It'd be nice, wouldn't it?"

"It's not just because of the beach." Mimi confessed. "I was looking forward to our first weekend out as a couple. We're always so busy…"

"We are having a weekend out as a couple already!" Jyou stated. "We're a couple and we're out of town! We might be stuck in a hotel room, but we can still enjoy ourselves!"

"But not in a way that we couldn't do in New York." Mimi said, sighing.

"That would have been the case even if the sun was out." Jyou told her, putting his left hand on her shoulder. "No matter where we are, your company is the thing I've always enjoyed the most."

Mimi grabbed Jyou's hand on her shoulder and pulled him closer, to a hug.

"You're right." She told him, before kissing his cheek. Then, they kissed each other on the lips.

They could not go to the ocean in their first weekend out as a couple. But under the sound of the heavy rain, they dived in their love for each other.


	3. Gifts

**Gifts**

"Can I open my eyes now, Mimi?" Jyou asked, frustrated. He was forced to walk through town for twenty minutes with his eyes closed, being guided only by his girlfriend, who pulled him by the right arm.

"Now you can!" Mimi announced, happily. He opened his eyes and saw an old bookstore.

"Why did you bring me here?" He asked, confused.

"When I lost my first internship, you were there for me and pampered me in a big way." She said. "I promised myself that, when I got a new source of income, it would be my turn to pamper you."

"You got a new job?" Jyou asked, excited. "Why haven't you told me that before? I would've prepared something to celebrate!"

"Hey, I'm the one in this relationship assigned to take care of celebrations. I thought you knew that." Mimi told him, giggling. "Besides, I wanted to surprise you before I start working next week. You can choose a book and I'll pay for it with my own money."

"But you haven't gotten any payment yet, have you?"

"I have some money saved, don't worry." Mimi assured.

Jyou entered the store, soon realizing there were only fiction books in there. Not that he would make her buy him a book about Medicine, anyway. He simply was not used to that kind of literature.

"Jyou! Jyou! Look at this!" Mimi suddenly came running in his direction, carrying a book. A young man with short and dark hair followed her. "The salesman said that this book is the greatest love story in all of Brazilian literature!"

Jyou took a glance at the cover.

"'The Devil to pay in the Backlands', by João Guimarães Rosa." He pronounced.

"The original title is 'Grande Sertão: Veredas.'" The salesman explained. "In my view, it's the greatest book ever written in Portuguese. Maybe the greatest book ever written!"

The enthusiasm of the salesman was so fiery that Jyou just had to ask Mimi to buy him that book.

In the following week, he read parts of it every break from classes and when he was alone in his apartment. At first, his plan was to read a chapter per day but he soon found out that the over 600 pages long novel was not divided in chapters. The narrative was not linear and worked as the narration of an old man talking to someone who could have been the author himself. It certainly felt like he was talking to Jyou.

Most of the story was hard to understand but Jyou got very attached to a character of immense importance in the narration. Someone whose presence still haunted the old man, and for whom he supposedly sold his soul to the Devil.

Diadorim.

By the end of her first week in her new job, Mimi arrived in her apartment and found Jyou there, sitting on the couch, waiting for her. He had the book firmly held with both his hands. His eyes were red, indicating that he had been crying.

"Did something happen?" She asked, worried.

Jyou left the book on the couch, stood up and walked to her. Then, he hugged her tightly.

"Never leave me." He pleaded. "Please. Never go to a place where I can't follow you. Please…"

He cried quietly on her shoulder. Mimi had never seen Jyou reading a book that had nothing to do with his studies before. She could not have expected that he would be so touched by a fictional story.

"Hey, don't be silly." She told him, forcing a laugh. "You're stuck with me for decades, until we both have gray hair and wrinkles."

"Please… Mimi…"

"It's not fair to ask me that, you know?" She murmured. "I don't want you to leave me either."

She hugged him back, determined to remember how his warmth felt against her body, suddenly afraid of the day that warmth could end. Why did he have to make her think about that?

They continued to hug each other, until Jyou whispered in her right ear something that she would remember forever.

"My Love."

It had been the first time he had ever referred to her in that way. The last time she would hear it would take long to come. It could have taken forever and yet it would have been too soon.

 **I didn't know how to write this without spoiling Grande Sertão: Veredas. Let's just say that if that book broke my heart and changed me forever, nothing fairer for it to do the same with Jyou. Easily the greatest book I've ever read.**


	4. Fairy tale

**Fairy tale**

"What's this?" Jyou one day asked, noticing a photo on the living room's shelf of his girlfriend's apartment. It showed Mimi as a child, dressed as a witch.

"It's from my second grade play. Have I never told you that story?" She asked. "Well, you see, first I was asked to play the princess."

"I can totally picture that." Jyou told her, smirking. "I bet you were the cutest child in your classroom!"

"Don't let Koushiro-kun hear that." She joked.

"Then, why didn't you play the princess?"

"The princess had almost no lines and stayed asleep for most of the play. I didn't want to have the most boring role!" A flame appeared in Mimi's eyes as she remembered her childhood outrage.

"You were always outspoken, huh? That's so cool!" Jyou spoke with admiration.

"The other kids gave me the role of the witch that curses the princess as punishment! Can you believe that?" Mimi raised her voice, clenching her fists.

"You seem happy in that photo, though." Jyou pointed out.

"Ah…" Mimi's expression softened as nostalgic scenes played in her mind. "When I told my mother what had happened, she asked why the witch had cursed the princess. Then, she theorized that the witch was actually good and was trying to free the people from the monarchs that explored them."

"That twist is amazing!" Jyou exclaimed. "The witch was actually the heroine, then. Hold on!" He suddenly paled. "What happened to the witch?"

"She was killed by the prince." Mimi said, pouting.

"I'm really sorry about that." Jyou spoke in a sad tone.

"It's ok." Mimi assured. "Before dying, I made a surprise speech about how 'evil' was an empty label used by those that held power. In reality, people were more complicated than that and there should be more effort put in trying to understand each other."

"You said all that in second grade?" Jyou asked, marveled at his girlfriend. That story made him understand better Mimi's pacifism and heartbreak at seeing digimon getting hurt and killed in the Digital World. _She's so admirable, determined and brave._ Jyou thought, feeling that he was falling even more in love with her.

"You know…" Mimi murmured. "I wish the witch and the princess could have talked things through and come to a better solution."

"That would have been the happiest ending!" Jyou stated, smiling.

Years later, when their first child was born, Mimi would tell the baby boy the tale of the witch and the princess that brought down an unfair system and helped the people of their land to live happily ever after.


	5. Karaoke

**Karaoke**

"Where did this come from?" Jyou asked, horrified. He had just returned from his night class and found Mimi in his apartment, turning on a karaoke machine in the living room.

"I rent it. Isn't it neat?" She was clearly proud of herself. "I thought we could have some fun!"

"Really…?." Jyou felt panic building up in him. Until that day, he had never sung in front of his girlfriend, which made him quite glad. Back in Japan, whenever she invited him to karaoke, he had the excuse of needing to study or that he was too shy to sing in front of other people (which, to be fair, was true). He had believed that, once he had moved to New York, he was free of that kind of invitation. However, in that moment, the karaoke he had avoided for so long had come after him.

"What's wrong?" Mimi asked, looking at him with concern. "Did you eat something that made you ill?"

"I-It's not that!" Jyou stuttered, blushing.

"Then, what's the matter?"

"The thing is…" Jyou hesitated. But when he saw the preoccupation in her eyes, he couldn't bring himself to deceive his beloved girlfriend. "I'm a terrible singer! I suck! I suck so much and it's really embarrassing! I didn't want you to know how terrible I am!"

He expected Mimi to react with shock and, perhaps, to feel betrayed by such revelation. The way she actually reacted was indescribable underwhelming.

"That's it? That's not a problem at all!" She told him, laughing.

"What do you mean it's not a problem?" Jyou inquired, incredulous. "It's my most shameful secret!"

"If that's your most shameful secret, you must be the best man alive!" Mimi stated, laughing more.

"How can you not be bothered by that when you sing so well?" Jyou asked. "Wouldn't you be happier with someone who sang as well as you?"

"I don't care about your voice, Jyou. I fell in love with your heart." Mimi assured him, smiling brightly.

Jyou felt as if all the blood of his body had suddenly rushed to his cheeks.

"I don't deserve you." He muttered.

"Hey! You know that I don't like it when you put yourself down!" Mimi scolded him. "Now, come here and have some fun with me!"

"O-Okay." Jyou agreed, reluctantly. He grabbed the microphone and picked a song he knew. When he began to sing, he noticed how Mimi paid attention to his every move and sound. Self-conscious to the extreme, he closed his eyes. Jyou could swear that his heart was beating louder than the music. Once the music stopped, he opened his eyes and looked at Mimi. Although she was smiling, her eyes were brimmed with small tears.

"H-How did I sound?" Jyou asked, apprehensively.

Mimi approached the man and kissed his lips, softly. Then, she told him:

"You sounded like the love of my life."


	6. Café

**Café**

"Hey, Mimi, did you know?" Jyou spoke too loudly, while holding a mug with both his hands. "Café is coffee in Portuguese. Diego from the bookstore told me that."

"I don't really care about how the beverage is called, you shouldn't have drunk so much." She sighed, taking the empty thermos bottle from the desk overloaded with open books. She had found strange that Jyou hadn't replied to her messages since the day before and decided to check on him. She decided to pay him a visit and found him almost drowning in coffee, allegedly in preparation for a difficult exam.

Jyou was trembling from head to toes on his chair, almost burying his face on the books. He seemed happy to see her, though, which stopped him from complaining too much about her interruption on his studies. He only complained for ten minutes straight.

She took the bottle to the kitchen and returned to his bedroom, finding him reading once again. His relentlessness was increasing and she could swear that his heartbeat was loud enough for her to hear, some steps away.

"We need to do something about the caffeine in your body before you get worse!" Mimi decided, going back to the kitchen, where she took three plastic bottles of water out. "Drink lots of water! Then, we'll go for a night walk and buy some fruits!"

"I can't go out now!" Jyou protested, turning to her. "I have a really important exam in three days! I can't afford to fail!"

"I can't afford to allow you to treat yourself so poorly!" Mimi raised her voice. "Can you even understand the deplorable state you are in? You are harming yourself!" She felt hot tears flooding her eyes.

"Mimi…" Jyou stood up, feeling guilty for making his girlfriend cry. He wanted to embrace her but couldn't stop his arms from shaking.

"You're going to be a doctor, Jyou! Your job will consist in taking care of people!" Mimi reminded him. "How are you going to do that if you don't take care of yourself first?! If something bad were to happen to you because of your recklessness, I… I don't even know w-what I…"

She put the bottles on his bed and rubbed her eyes. Some sobs escaped from her mouth.

"I'm sorry!" Jyou said, sounded ashamed. "You're right… I'm so sorry, Mimi!"

Once she stopped rubbing her eyes to wipe the tears, she saw that Jyou had taken one of the water bottles. However, he was having difficulty in opening it. Mimi made him seat on the bed, opened one bottle and held it for him to drink. After finishing it, he told her:

"I feel like you're treating me like a baby."

"Babies can't take care of themselves." She said, still annoying.

"I won't be this irresponsible again." Jyou promised. "I don't want to scare you like that ever again."

"You shouldn't do it just for me!" Mimi had a scolding tone. "You need to like yourself more and be kinder to yourself!"

Jyou studied her, attentively. That had not been the first time Mimi had told him that. But, in regards to that specific request, it had been always so hard to do as she told him. Maybe it would be easier if he was as positive and loving as her. Sometimes, it was hard for him to understand what was there in him to love.

However, the most wonderful person in the world loved him. From all the people she could have chosen, she chose him. Mimi had a special wisdom when it came to understanding people; she wasn't someone to be fooled by appearances. If Mimi saw something beautiful and worthy to be loved in him, she should be right. The best he could do was to trust her and look into himself for the person she had fallen in love with. And to take care of that man capable of making her happy.

"C-Could I have more water, please?" He asked.

"Of course." Mimi said, calmer, opening the second bottle and giving it to him. They didn't talk much more that night, even after going out for the walk and buying the fruits.

Jyou accompanied Mimi to her apartment's door.

"I'm going home and eat some of these." He told her, glancing at the bags filled with fruits that he was carrying. "Then, I'm going to sleep. I won't touch coffee again anytime soon."

"That's good to hear." She showed him a large smile.

"I love you, Mimi."

"I love you, Jyou."

"Thank you!" He exclaimed, suddenly feeling his eyes getting warm. Mimi pulled him to a soft kiss.

"Take care of yourself, my love." She ordered, sweetly.

From that night on, Jyou would obey her without question.


	7. Flowers

**Flowers**

The saloon where Jyou's graduation ceremony was being held was richly decorated with several roses arrangements. Mimi almost felt drunk by their sweetness as she looked for the best seat from which she could watch her boyfriend delivering his speech. Her long sleeveless red dress had the same shade as the roses decorating the pulpit.

Jyou tried to write it several times for the past couple of weeks but could not achieve a satisfying result. Mimi wanted to help and read some of the things he had written. They were too formal, too unoriginal and too rigid, with an old-fashioned streak that didn't belong in a New York University.

 _"_ _I can't do this! Why was I chosen to do the speech?! It's impossible!"_ Jyou despaired, like usual.

 _"_ _It's coming off weird because you're forcing yourself too much to write what you think is the 'right thing.'"_ Mimi told him. _"Instead of that, you should speak from your heart."_

 _"_ _I-I can't! It's not going to work! I'm not capable-"_

 _"_ _You listen to me!"_ Mimi spoke authoritatively. _"I've known you for years! I know what you're capable of! You're the person that used to hide your softness behind a mask of respectability, until you learned that your softness is precisely what makes you great! You're the person who, despite trembling in fear, still puts your all in a task if you think you're helping someone! You work harder and care more than anyone else! That dedication shows, you know? Anyone that gets to know you can see stars shining in your eyes when you talk about being a doctor and helping people! Your heart is the most beautiful thing in the world, Jyou…"_ She felt her eyes getting wetter.

 _"_ _Thank you."_ Jyou told her, holding both of her hands. _"I will speak from my heart. Please, listen to me."_

Mimi didn't know what kind of speech her boyfriend prepared in the end but she was sure it would be worthy listening to.

The saloon soon became crowded. Mimi was proud for getting a seat not very far from the pulpit.

When Jyou came in, in full graduation garb, Mimi had a hard time fighting the tears. It wasn't simply because he was a very handsome man. That night, her Jyou was realizing his long life dream, the goal he had worked so hard to reach. Despite doubting himself so much, despite losing faith so many times, despite all his insecurities... Jyou persisted and stood victorious. At that moment, Mimi doubted that any other person in the world was as proud as she was.

Jyou began his speech in a conventional way, talking about everything his class went through and how much the students learned. He thanked the professors and paid homage to family and friends, bringing up the fact that despite his family not being able to travel to the United States and his best friend living in a place that is, sometimes, difficult to reach, he knew they had him in their hearts, just like he had them all.

 _Simple but sweet_ , Mimi thought, not expecting what was coming next.

"There was someone, though… someone who has always been by my side. Someone who always believed in me and encouraged me. Ever since we were kids and I thought I couldn't do a damn thing right… when I thought that I was mediocre and would never realize my dreams… she spoke to me, in a ferocity that I learned to love. Mimi told me that I could do whatever the hell I wanted."

Mimi lost the battle against her tears.

"I want to believe that everybody has or will have that person in their lives that becomes absolutely essential to them. Someone who sees the best in them even when all they can see are ugly things. That person that loves you so much and believes in you so much that she gets mad at you when you put yourself down." Jyou's eyes were getting brimmed with tears. "That person that is an inspiration, a source of strength… someone that, on bad days when you think she's too good for you, reminds you of your worth. I wouldn't be here tonight; I wouldn't be standing here delivering a graduation speech if it wasn't for her. Thank you for being my sunshine, Mimi. You helped me to become someone I can be proud of. Someone that will save lives! I can only hope to be for you someone you deserve to be with. I promise I'll never stop trying to be that person. I'll love you forever!"

Jyou was bawling his eyes out as he continued his speech, talking about Medicine. When he was over, the entire saloon did a standing ovation. Mimi was the one clapping the loudest, almost drowning in her own tears.

After the ceremony was over and Jyou's friends asked him to take pictures with them, Mimi told him she would wait in the outside garden. It was a beautiful place, especially under the moonlight. There were groups of people talking not too far away from her. The flowers growing there, so diverse from each other, seemed more beautiful than the perfect roses inside. She picked a little mirror from her purse to see how much of her makeup had been ruined by Jyou's speech. Overall, it was still holding up well. Even if it wasn't, she wouldn't be sad.

"Mimi."

Jyou approached her by her left, showing her his most beautiful smile.

"Well, hello, Doctor Kido." She greeted. "That was a beautiful speech."

"Thank you." He told her, getting closer. They sat on a bench nearby, looking at each other with adoration.

"One day, when we're both financially stable…" Jyou began, holding her hands. "I'm going to ask you something… I'll do it the right way, I promise. I'll be very romantic, like I know you like. It's okay if you say no to my question. But I'm going to ask you anyway. So, please, wait for me."

Mimi looked deeply into his eyes and smiled.

"Yes." She told him.

"Yes…?" Jyou asked, blushing. "Yes like… you will wait for my question?"

"Yes like I want you to be my husband." She explained, giggling.

Fresh tears appeared in his eyes as Jyou laughed (or coughed) nervously.

"I'll wait for your official proposal, though." Mimi added. "I'm expecting to be bathed in romance, just so you know."

"Of course!" Jyou promised, pulling her to a kiss.

Under the moonlight, his wife to be was more beautiful than all the flowers in the world.

 **Today is the last day of jyoumi week and here is the last chapter of this collection. Thank you very much for all the reviews and the support.**


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